Halo Reach: Hero
by The Grayest Cloud
Summary: Years after Reach's downfall, Jun, the last remaining member of Noble Team is being interviewed about some of the team's unethical tactics. Language Warning.


_Jun: "Six, your 8 o'clock."_

 _Six:"Got him. Thanks."_

 _Carter: "Hunters in the courtroom. Their backs are exposed… hit them now."_

 _Emile: "Get some you ailen shitbags."_

 _Jorge: 'More coming in from the doorway. I'll hold 'em there."_

 _Six: "On it."_

 _Kat: "You won't have to. The scuttle protocol is active. Let's get out of here."_

 _Carter: "Roger. Jobs done. Everyone to the ships. Let's move."_

 _Emile: "Copy that. See y'all on the flip side."_

" _This, was the last full conversation between the elite Noble Team. A team in which you were part of… isn't that right Jun?"_

" _That is correct."_

" _What was your role?"_

" _... I was the team's scout, sniper, and reconnaissance specialist."_

" _Can you describe your fallen members? There has been some controversy surrounding some of their unethical tactics."_

 _Jun didn't answer. He was reluctant in the first place for having to do this interview._

 _The moderator had pressed too far. And the accuser for Noble Team was simply annoying. Jun closed his eyes and folded his hands. He didn't care if the whole conversation was being broadcasted on live television. He was instead thinking. Contemplating. Going back to that time in the helicopter with Halsey. Listening anxiously, everyday to that blasted radio. "Man down. Man down. I repeat man down. Mayday. Mayday. Please anyone respond. We are outnumbered. There is heavy opposition. Requesting immediate backup. We've sustained massive casualties. My whole squadron is dead. Anyone please respond." Those were the words, he had sat and listened to every day on that goddamn pelican. He knew his duty. His mission, given to him by his late commander._

 _Jorge had been the first to go. He sacrificed himself to detonate a ship. Kat was second. A bullet straight through her head. He could remember the blood, dripping, seeping out of the needle sized hole in her helmet. Then it was Carter. He had driven his pelican after dropping off Six and Emile to lead away Banshees. And when a Scarab had blocked Six and Emile's path, he drove straight into the heart of the Covenant tank, taking it down with him. Then it was Emile. Jun laughed, trying to envision it. After destroying several dozen enemy aircraft in an attempt to clear the way for the Autumn, Zealots, had attacked. He took down the first, with two hateful blasts from his shotgun. A second in camouflage stabbed him from behind and held him in the air. Jun smiled. Even in his final moments, Emile wasn't going down alone. He unsheathed his favorite knife, and drove it deep within the Zealot's neck, falling with his enemy. And then, it was Six. The lone wolf. The only other spartan, to be called a hyper-lethal vector. He chose, to stay behind. He chose death on the planet with his friends he had come to know, and love. When he was promoted to Noble Team, he vowed to throw away his solo acts. Yet in the end, there he was again. The lone survivor. The lone wolf howling, under a cold, unfriendly moon._

 _Reports said he died to a swarm of Zealot class elites. Reports also say he took down armadas. Legions upon legions, of Covenant. With his last fight he showed just what Reach was made of. What Noble Team, was made of. Every bullet, he shot for the civilians. He shot for his planet. He shot, for his team. Not unlike Thom, the original Noble Six, Jun thought. During the assault on Reach, Noble Team had responded to an attack on a populous city. Amidst the chaos of that battle, Kat had been tasked with delivering a payload with the capability of destroying a glasser. Midway, her arm had been nearly severed after being hit with the debris of an explosion. It was Thom, arriving on his jetpack, who finished the mission, alone. Using up his fuel, he got on board. And detonated the bomb. No hesitation. He didn't pause to say goodbye over the comms. He didn't pause to think about his own life. He knew his job as a soldier._

 _The explosion wiped out the whole ship and sent the Covenant running. Kat never got over it. She said, if she hadn't been injured, Thom wouldn't have died. She continued to blame herself for his death everyday until she died. Thom sacrificed his life for the mission. Jorge sacrificed his life for the mission. Carter sacrificed his life for the mission. Six sacrificed himself to be among friends. Kat and Emile would have done the same in a heartbeat. But what was different, Jun thought, was the fact that Six, carried the deaths of his teammates on his shoulders. His heart and mind must have been the sacrifices. With their deaths they placed their faith on him, in hopes that he would carry out the mission. Jorge wanted Reach to be saved. He didn't die in vain. Reach has now since been reclaimed and is stronger than ever. Carter didn't die in vain. The AI Cortana was delivered and saved humanity. Kat and Emile, they both contributed in ways that were vital to that success._

 _Six… Now that is different. He wanted to be among those slain on Reach. Counted among those Spartans who gave their lives for the planet. Among those who believed they could make a difference. He died willing, taking as many tangos with him as possible. He died avenging his comrades. Jun smiled and became conscious to the spokesman. "Sir. Sir. What is your response? Do you have no comment?" Jun opened his eyes with a flash and stood up. His augmented and battle-hardened body towered over the interviewer._

" _Carter: He was a leader, fearless, in control, never before had I met someone with such a talent for decision making. Kat: Brilliant. Witty and our vital second in command. Plan designer and intel handler. Emile: Brutal, ruthless, he hosted an ever growing hate for the Covenant. There wasn't a day where his knife and armor were drenched in the blood of his foes. Jorge: A man of iron, a bastion, a wall. Yet within he was like all of us. Sensitive. Human to others. A wonderful mix. And Six… I didn't know him long, but on the battlefield, he was enigmatic, efficient, and brave. He was a lone wolf, pristine in stature and looks, but his bite was as cold as the middle of winter. He was a hero. They were all heroes. And I hope, I can even come close to living up to their actions." The spokesman sat stunned briefly, but quickly gathered his composure, and asked quietly, "And what of the controversy?" Jun rolled his eyes long and obviously,_

" _F**k that." With that, he walked off camera._


End file.
